Compositions to prevent body odor are an important element of daily personal hygiene. They are designed to ensure that sweat formed during the course of the day through various activities (physical movement, work, sport) but also through psychological stress do not lead to unpleasant body odor. The deodorizing active ingredients contained in commercial deodorants are just as diverse as the constituents of sweat and the causes of the development of body odor. Odor absorbers, scents, deodorizing ion-exchangers, bacteriostatic agents, components having a prebiotic effect and enzyme inhibitors can be used as cosmetic deodorizing active ingredients. In simplified terms, body odor is attributable to the bacterial decomposition of the organic constituents of sweat. In turn, some of the bacteria that are typical of the natural microflora of human skin, in particular gram-positive anaerobic cocci, for example Staphylococci, such as Staphylococcus hominis, and Corynebacteria, are responsible for the bacterial decomposition. As body odor is caused by bacterial activity, it can be prevented particularly effectively by the application of cosmetic agents (soaps, creams, powders, sticks, roll-ons, gels or sprays) containing antimicrobially active substances and perfume oil compositions. Triclosan and chlorhexidine are among the antimicrobially active substances used to produce deodorants. Moreover, essential oils such as clove oil (eugenol), peppermint oil (menthol) and thyme oil (thymol) are used as active ingredients for deodorants, although the pronounced inherent odor of these compounds limits the dose in which they are used. From an ecological perspective triclosan, as an organic chlorine compound, is not without controversy. Essential oils have a relatively high allergenic potential, and this, in addition to their inherent odor, restricts their usage. Aromatic alcohols, such as for example 2-methyl-5-phenylpentan-1-ol, 2-phenylethan-1-ol or 3-phenylpropan-1-ol, are already known in the prior art as antimicrobial and deodorizing active ingredients. These compounds are highly effective, are also very well tolerated by the skin, and have only a weak inherent odor.
The aerosol spray, roll-on and antiperspirant stick have become established in the market as application forms for said compositions. Furthermore, deodorants in powder form (including compressed powders) or deodorants applied to a disposable substrate (such as a cloth, pad or swab) are also known. “Soft solids” are known to the person skilled in the art as a particularly pleasant application form. These are viscous compositions which have a creamy texture and which are pressed out through one or more openings of a dispensing device of the applicator before use. This process exerts a pressure on the composition, under which the formulation often becomes unstable, causing one of its liquid constituents to separate out. This phenomenon is known as syneresis and is mostly to be observed in soft solids with a high oil content.
It is therefore desirable to provide a deodorizing cosmetic composition in the form of an anhydrous composition as a soft solid, which exhibits no or at least reduced syneresis. The composition should moreover impart a light, powdery and dry feel to the skin. When the composition comes into contact with textiles, the composition should wash easily out of the textiles.
Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.